Lune Bay - A smaller marshy town.....(Updated 04/08) «12...Next Go

misscbong

So after a few weeks, now, of playing around with CAW, getting fed up, and then coming back to play some more, I've decided to actually stick with ONE town/city and make it good.

So, introducing Lune Bay! (name may be changed, haha)

I'm still pretty new, and experimenting, and enjoying every second of it...usually. I wanted a smaller map, and have found that I just prefer the smaller town feel. I don't make a million Sim families to play, so I don't need all the space and lag, and would much prefer everything in one spot...although, also have some space for exploring.

This town will have a small town feeling. I'll be placing a downtown section with all the rabbitholes, as well row-house style housing around the busy area. Then, there will be tons of parks and larger lotted houses, to make room for gardens, and well, just space!

Anyways, I'm nervous to share the beginning stages, but thought I might as well, as feed back and critique's are always welcome!

UPDATED!!!

I had a bit of technical problems with this world for a while, plus just general lack of interest, , but I've gotten back into it and worked on the world a bit more, as well trying to push myself to work on the community lots that remain incomplete.

New Photos continue on Page 3

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[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/fm2a9y.jpg "width=640"[/IMG]

View of the Downtown area from the Bay

[IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/2iuf9na.jpg "width=640"[/IMG]

Incomplete over head view of the whole world.

imadeva

Those plants and rocks look beautiful! Very nice work.

misscbong

Thanks!

Small steps keep me sane

And I found if I just started plopping down roads and trees I would get discouraged too quickly. So I'm working on smaller areas and then hoping to tie them all together over time.

BGateGWayB

I like it so far. May need to go in and do a little more work. I'm sure it will look pretty good when it's finished. I'm bookmarking this thread becuase i'm interested in a "small town" that has everything and several houses. Now i'm just wondering when you say a few houses. How many do you mean?

misscbong

Oh, there will be a decent amount of houses. Not sure the exact amount, but I would say probably about 6 downtown, and maybe another 10-15 on the more rural side. Not postivie yet, but I would make several starters, and then some more lavish, so I'd want several of each income level, I suppose.

And I for sure need more work, haha, this is just the very beginning stages!

BSIRegina

Very nice! I also like to concentrate on smaller areas at a time. It keeps me from getting over-whelmed.

misscbong

Thanks!

Yeah, I kept rushing on the sculpting and terrain just to start laying out the lots...that DID NOT work very well! So, slow may take longer, but in the end, I'll have one good world, not ten bad ones.

BSIRegina

It's way too tempting to start laying lots and adding objects from the get-go. I really think that's one of the worst ways to go about a map. In the end, it's like a house--it's only as good as its foundation. Sure, there's a lot of back and forth work, like once you get to the point of placing objects and lots, some of the objects are definitely going to need placed after lots or vice-versa, depending on the area, but I'm all for leaving lots and objects as the very last thing.

misscbong

Agreed!
I quickly placed the spaces for the community lots, only to see if everything would fit in its designated area, but have done nothing with them but put them there.

And ofcourse, as of last night, I've changed my mind about the layout of the roads, haha. So, I'm going back in to fix it up (again!)

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UPDATED!

Did a bit more work so far this morning...it's taking over my life!

So, I'm adding more textures and sculpting to the hills on the edges of town, so it doesn't just look like a border to block out the vast amount of water behind

Still no trees up yet, just a few here and there to remind me of certain things I'll be wanting to place.



Over head shot of the downtown area, it's layout, and then sculpting and terrain paints of the hills. Trying to incorporate more rough edges and ledges, so it's not just rolling green pastures...thought thinking about keeping it that way elsewhere.




Shot of the planned areas for lots, as well as the roads and the overall size of this smaller town.

BSIRegina

I like the lay-out, nice and concise, yet at the same time it looks like you have free space in places. I know not everyone feels the way I do, but I have a hard time with worlds where all the buildings are crammed so close together there's basically no undeveloped land.

Do you have a style in mind for your buildings? The reason I ask is because I see an area for row houses and thought I'd volunteer the few I have at BogSims if you want to use them and they would work. That reminds me, I really need to upload a fixed version of one of the little houses I have there. :oops:

misscbong

I agree on the cramped downtown area. I'm not a big fan of having my sims walk around downtown for things...I like them close to home, haha. And in terms of everywhere else, I want larger lots for housing, so I can play with landscaping gardens and streams, etc. I figured with a real downtown, it's often more concentrated and squishy in a down town area, plus I wanted to fit all the occuptaion rabbit holes in, and it's hard to do that in a smaller town/map AND have enough housing elsewhere. I might play around with it a little more.

As for style, I want more classic, and old country charm. The row houses will be semi-victorian, but not cutesy. And the other houses with be a bit more old fashioned, like early 1900's (which is like the area I live in in real life). And thank you for the offer! I'm actually most exctied about the row houses, haha, so I think I'll be making them all. A big reason behind making a town, for me, was also to make the houses.

femfactory

I think your world looks verry nice.I have bookmarked this thread because I would like to follow your progress I really like the marshy area.I'm building a medium world myself and wanted to do something similar but I no longer have enough place for it since I have placed my lots Anyway I look forward to seeing more pictures as you continue to build your world.

Calimero2000

It's good. I like the marsh-y area. Looks great so far :thumbup:!

Happy Simming,
Calimero

misscbong

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

BSIRegina - I agreed with yoru suggestion about more space downtown, and spreadint hings out a bit more. I got rid of all the downtown lots and reowkred the streets, and spaced everything out a bit more. Plus, I'm adding some more community lots on the other side of the river (Bookstore, restaurant, pool, etc.) so that things do feel more like a town, and everything has more room.

femfactory and Calimero2000 - Thank you both! I'm adding more to the marsh-area so that it will overlap on the residential lots a bit more. Plus, I plan on adding creeks and more marshes on the lots once they're created and worked on. I really like the idea of more marsh, and almost like smaller Bayou areas, which was what I was first thinking of.

Here is one more screenshot of the redone roads downtown, and just a nicer view!

[img]http://i49.tinypic.com/2vdmjgw.jpg "width=640"[/img]


And now, the fixed roads and downtown areas, including some of the residential and community lots.

BSIRegina

Ooh, nice! Yes, I am liking that lay-out even better!

One thing to keep in mind is that even in a lot of smaller cities they have been taking very dim views on the idea of buildings packed in together with no breathing space. Of course a lot of these projects came about from cities trying to revitalize their downtown areas which went nearly dead with urbanization.

In one small city that is near here, there is a creek that was culverted so it could be built over. A few years back it was discovered that a dry cleaner was polluting the water, so they had to clean up all that. When they did that, they had to tear down buildings and unbury the creek and remove all the culvert. Instead of re-culverting, they left the whole thing exposed and now have a lovely green belt all the way through town.

The row houses will be semi-victorian, but not cutesy. And the other houses with be a bit more old fashioned, like early 1900's (which is like the area I live in in real life). And thank you for the offer! I'm actually most exctied about the row houses, haha, so I think I'll be making them all. A big reason behind making a town, for me, was also to make the houses.

I know exactly how you feel! When I make a "real" type world, it will have plenty of room for row houses just so I can build them. Oh they take so much time, but are so much fun! I saved pictures from the internet for reference and used those for the three I have. None of them look exactly like the pictures, of course, but I could work in details from each of them.

misscbong

I have, in fact, added more to the marshes and am planning a larger creek behind some of the houses. We'll see, and I'll update with more photos later tonight, probably!

BSIRegina - I do also prefer wider spaces, and had planned it all along, but then got too concerned with having everything in ONE place downtown. But, after moving some of the nicer looking rabbitholes over the river, everything is much more spacious. I have everything that is needed, but have miny lots between a lot of the community lots, so I can smaller parks or seating areas.

Yeah, the row houses are THE most exciting for me. A bit of a challenge too, as the lots are 13x30, which fits the car parks and a marrow building. They'll be long, though, and atleast 2-3 stories to keep them looking authentic, so there will be more than enough space.

I'm looking into the row houses in paris, San Francisco and even some of the wider ones in New Orleans, just to get a sense of space and how it would actually look when all lain out. Very exciting! I'm trying to keep myself from doing ANY building, though, until the world it done. But it's so hard!!!

misscbong

I have completed much of the landscaping and placement of trees in the town. I tried to hold back a bit for ease of gameplay, and felt the clsuters of trees in the pits and valleys of the mountainside kept things looking much more realistic.

[img]http://i50.tinypic.com/2cz9bh4.jpg "width=640"[/img]


[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/2iuf9na.jpg "width=640"[/img]


Let me know what you all think!

I have also extended the marsh area from the aby area, as well as out from the creek that was running around the other side of town.

femfactory

I like what you have done.It looks really nice and I like your marshy area even more now

misscbong

femfactory - thank so much! I'm really happy I added more, and plan on having marshy lots as well, so everything gets that Bayou kind of feel. Also a big reason why Willow trees are a big part of the town (aside from them being my favourite tree)

So, I've made my way on to some of the community lots and am busily trying to get them finished and set up in a matching/coherent theme.

[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/r8fct5.jpg "width=640"[/img]

The aerial view of the downtown area. Got the trees up, and the layout of all the buildings can be seen.

[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/2uthz6a.jpg "width=640"[/img]

The upper-class housing area with the boulevard/park filled out.

[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/2n16s5.jpg "width=640"[/img]

Close-up of the boulevard, and the view of the marsh area in the distance.

[img]http://i50.tinypic.com/2lxxwk0.jpg "width=640"[/img]

And the school, no landscaped, and the mountains in the distance. There is a large playground area on the side of school, as well as a lunch area filled with picnic tables, and a smaller marshy pond in the backyard.

onmyown1986

It looks great so far. I love the boulevard/park area - it looks gorgeous! I am looking forward to downloading this world when it is complete.

misscbong

Thanks!

I haven't had much time the last few days to get in and get some stuff made, but I was busy working on the pool and the other community lots, so I hope to have some new photos to post either tonight or tomorrow.

gurra09

This neighborhood looks fantastic! I'll download this when it's completely done.

dorienjordy

Wow!
It's great!

misscbong

Some, a bigger picture update. I've been busily working on the community lots, and trying to tie everything together with a coherent theme of terrain paints, lights and plants.


Over head of the Bistro/Gorcery square. Tons of seating and planting. You can also peek the playground of the school next door.




The end of the commercial district downtown. Doo Peas and the Warehouse shown here.

[img]http://i47.tinypic.com/qnld10.jpg "width=640"[/img]


View of the Stadium and Doo peas. There is parking on the other side of the Stadium. As well, the road will NOT have the green grass showing, I just keep forgetting to paint the terrain underneath to match.

[img]http://i49.tinypic.com/2mwxlbk.jpg "width=640"[/img]


Another view of Doo Peas and the Warehouse. I wanted it to look overrun and run down. Lots of plants and items covering the front area to make it look neglected.

[img]http://i45.tinypic.com/2hfntcp.jpg "width=640"[/img]


The Hospital also has some parking (cars and bikes). As well as some sitting space out front of waiting expectant fathers

[img]http://i45.tinypic.com/2v8qr9k.jpg "width=640"[/img]


View from the community pool out to the Bistro/Gorcery square.

[img]http://i48.tinypic.com/b5jj8j.jpg "width=640"[/img]


Just need to finish off the rest of the community lots so I can FINALLY get to making houses and putting the finishing touches (which is my favourite part!)

misscbong

Oops...double post!

Kacelaj

This world looks amazing! I love that it is small yet full of great areas. It is just what I would make if I had the talent and the patients to make one myself. Thank you!